1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image generation method and an image generation apparatus for generating serial reproduction digital video data in the form of a slide show wherein still image data and/or digital video data digital video data obtained by a digital camera and the like are reproduced serially. The present invention also relates to a program that causes a computer to execute the image generation method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Following the spread of digital cameras, various still image data and digital video data can be obtained. In addition, various software called authoring tools have been provided for generating an image in the form of a slide show whereby still image data and digital video data are edited together on a personal computer.
By using such an authoring tool, a catalog of thumbnail images of still image data sets and digital video data sets is displayed, and a desired one of the still image data sets and/or digital video data sets is selected one by one from the catalog for generating an “movie”. The selected still image data sets and/or digital video data sets are laid out in order of preference, and a digital video data set in the form of a slide show (hereinafter referred to as serial reproduction digital video data) is then generated.
Meanwhile, various methods have been proposed for easily editing multimedia information such as still image data and digital video data. For example, a method of smoothly changing data format has been proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-149043. In this method, when a scenario is generated for reproducing multimedia information, an actual file as a material to which the scenario is linked is linked to an actual file of the multimedia information generated by conversion of the data format thereof. In this manner, the data format can be changed smoothly. In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-350150, a method of efficiently editing an image by reproducing an image at a desired speed has also been described.
However, even in the case where the method described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-149043 or 2000-350150 is used, the still image data sets and the digital video data sets included in the serial reproduction digital video data need to be selected manually from a plurality of still image data sets and digital video data sets, which makes generation of the serial reproduction digital video data tedious.